All posts tagged Electrolux

Electrolux Design Lab Competition Winner 2009

As promised from an earlier post, Electrolux Design Lab – Flatshare Fridge, I’m updating you on the winner of this year’s Electrolux Design Lab Competition. Rickard Hederstierna from the Lund Institute of Technology in Sweden stole the show with his “Cocoon.” It’s a device that cooks genetically engineered and pre-packaged meat and fish meals by heating muscle cells. Rickard also received the 5,000 Euro prize and a six month internship at one of the Electrolux Global Design Centers. I am intrigued by the science behind Cocoon, but I wouldn’t necessarily want to eat the food it produces. A scene comes to mind from the futuristic movie, The Fifth Element, where the main character places a bowl with pellets into what looks like a microwave and out comes a whole chicken one second later. Feel free to tell me what you think about any of the devices shown here.

Finalist of Electrolux Design Lab 2009:
Cocoon by Rickard Hederstierna, Lund Institute of Technology, Sweden
Utilizing science to create food, Cocoon is a sustainable response to the worlds growing population and its desire to eat meat and fish.

Second Place went to part beach ball part hummingbird “Water Catcher” designed by Penghao Shan from Zheijiang Sci-tech University, China.

Water Catcher by Penghao Shan, Zhejiang Sci-tech University, China
The “Water Catcher” is an automated device that dispatches small flying balls in the air to catch raindrops and then purifies the water for drinking.

Receiving third place was “Renew” a smart steamer created by Louis Filosa from Purdue University, USA.

Renew by Louis Filosa, Purdue University, USA
Renew is a smart steamer that refreshes and cleans clothes.

Electrolux Design Lab – Flatshare Fridge

Fortunately, with all the roommates I’ve had, not a single one of them have ever stolen my food from the refrigerator. As a matter of fact, food has “magically appeared.” (forgetful friends come over and leave me presents quite often) For those of you who have experienced roommate refrigerator disputes, Flatshare Fridge is here to ease some of that household tension. Created by Stefan Buchberger, from the University of Applied Arts Vienna, Flatshare is a sleek modular system with separate compartments perfect for dorms or individuals with multiple roommates. Each person gets their own space and the compartments are customizable.

No more fighting over who’s turn it is to clean the fridge, nor do you have to deal with disposing of someone else’s unidentifiable leftovers. At the moment, it cannot guarantee that your food won’t be stolen, maybe in the future a lock system could be implemented, but it can eliminate the “I thought it was common property excuse.” Buchberger designed Flatshare Fridge for the Electrolux Design Lab Competition, which he won in 2008. It is a global competition that challenges industrial design students to create home appliances for the future. The finalists for this year have been chosen and the winner will be announced September 24th, 2009. I’ll be sure to update you. Check out some of the entries:

Moléculaire by Nico Kläber, Köln International School of Design, Germany
Moléculaire is a molecular 3D food printer that takes the marriage of science and cooking to a new level.

Naturewash by Zhenpeng Li, Zhejiang University, China
Naturewash is a waterless washing machine that uses negative ions to wash nano-coated fabrics.

Bifoliate by Toma Brundzaite, Vilnius Academy of Art, Lithuania
“Bifoliate” is a space-saving, wall-mounted double dishwasher that allows the user to put dirty dishes in one compartment and use the other as a shelf for clean dishes.